Minecraft Forums

I've been playing Minecraft single-player for a while and I've come up with a few suggestions. Here's one of them.

I'd like to see "points" available in Minecraft, to allow minecarts to be directed to different tracks. Related to this, "crossovers" would be useful too.

The idea is that by crafting rails with a slightly different recipe, 4 points (instead of 16 rails) would be created.

I suggest that the crafting recipe be the same as the current rails except that the middle bar of iron be replaced with a stick on one side or the other. If the stick is on the left, the points created will be left-facing. If the stick is on the right, the points will be right-facing.
Left:

Right:


The following explanation depends on you understanding the difference between "facing" and "trailing" points. In simple terms, approaching facing points means that the setting of the points will determine the direction you travel. Approaching "trailing" points will always cause you to join the "main" track.

When placed, the points will always appear as facing from the player's point of view.

If facing points are not activated by a redstone signal, the minecart will continue forward. If the facing points are activated by a redstone signal, the minecart will turn.

A minecart approaching trailing points will be unaffected by whether or not the trailing points are activated by a redstone signal. They will join the main track regardless.

Ensuring that two minecarts do not try to go through trailing points at the same time will be up to the player.

If minecarts crash at points, they will derail and stop.

Crossovers should also be craftable.


The recipe should be one stick in the middle, surrounded by 8 iron bars, to make 4 crossovers.

If minecarts crash at crossovers, they will derail and stop.

There's the basic idea. A nice enhancement would be for the points to provide a visual indication of the direction they will send the minecart, but this isn't essential.

I'd also suggest that a powered rail next to the points should not automatically pass its redstone signal to the points.

Does anyone else think this is a good idea or have related suggestions?

Seems like a good idea. I support.

Adding a lever is redundant since you'd still need to add another lever beside the points to actually change them (that, or a redstone signal which is the same thing). A waste of a lever, unless you're suggesting that the lever automatically appear when the points go down, which would make operating them from a remote location by redstone signal problematic and maybe impossible.

If the recipe were going to be bidirectional, with the final direction being decided by the direction the rail attaches to the points, then we could make do with a single recipe:


With a bidirectional recipe, the points could be used to make a t-junction set of points. If they're used in that configuration, I'd suggest that the default (non-energised) direction be left (writing in English starts on the left of the page).

Quote from rarekwiebus

Erm, it already is possible to hit a lever and swich to another rail if that is what you ment.

True, but I've never liked the existing system very much.

A dedicated track switch would be fitting, I think.

Quote from rarekwiebus

Erm, it already is possible to hit a lever and swich to another rail if that is what you ment.

I have to admit that I've never come across this and don't know how to do it. But if it involves leaving your current minecart and entering a new one, I prefer my suggestion.

Uh, it doesn't. It just switches the rail.

I'd like to know how this works so I can compare it to my idea.

I really thought there'd be more support for this idea. I'm quite disappointed at how few want rail points, considering how useful I think they'd be. Okay, I'll stop flogging the dead horse now.

Quote from Enudoran

As the intendet effects can be created with todays meanings, I don't think that is needed.

Considering that I don't know how to do the rail switching, I'd prefer points. I can only guess that it involves using a sticky piston to move blocks on which rails are resting. If it's not done that way, then I admit I'm clueless.

Quote from DaedalusYoung

Current rail switching just works with redstone. Apply power to a curved track and you'll see it switch. Just check the wiki.

I did. It says nothing at all about applying a redstone signal to a curved section of rail in order to make it switch directions.

What the wiki says is just that if there's any ambiguity about what a curved rail will join to, or what direction a minecart will go, then the South-East rule applies.

In summary, the wiki talks about using "junctions" (points) without providing the slightest clue about how to make one. Except for those who already know how to make one, of course. :-p I guess the wiki was written by an engineer. Or a Micro$oft programmer. ;-J

And now I definitely want my version of rail points in the game. More controllable and more useful.

I completely agree with this. The minecart system still feels a bit broken. This would also make it easier for newer players that don't know about the "south-west rule."

Quote from DaedalusYoung

Well, sort of:
"T intersections can be powered by redstone circuits and their direction can change with switches provided there is no confusion about the 2 directions to switch to."

I agree it is confusing and it doesn't say the power has to be applied to the curved rail section. It also kind of suggests that a T intersection is a separate rail block.

That's exactly the way I read it. It virtually says that the T intersection is a type of block, although by implication.

I'm not confident about editing the wiki, or I'd do it and make it clearer.

I think it should say something like "the curved rail at a T intersection can be powered by redstone to make it switch directions" and then go on to illustrate how this works with pictures.

I still want my version of points added to the game. One reason is that the current system won't reliably switch the rails in the way you want. ie instead of switching between north-south and north-west, it will only switch between north-west and south-west.

Having proper points would let you switch in the directions you want, instead of having to kludge the rail arrangements to fit in with the south-east rule.

It's not a matter of "simplifying" anything. It's a matter of making it actually work reliably and correctly. Which it doesn't right now.

Yes, I tested it. It works but forces you to jump through unnecessary hoops to get it to work right.

Support, this would solve unnessecary complication and saves space on railtracks.

Looks like this horse has life in it yet!

One use I can see for rail points (aka turnouts) is an easy way to make stations which don't hold up any following mine carts. I expect this would be especially useful for multiplayer adventure maps.

With redstone controlling points, it may even be possible for stations to be automatic:
A player "calls" for a cart and the next empty one is diverted to the station and stops, then the player selects the destination station, boards the cart and sets it in motion. The redstone circuit automatically merges the cart with "traffic" and diverts the cart into the destination station as it approaches. When the player steps onto the platform, the cart is automatically shunted back onto the main track as soon as there is a gap in "traffic".

Token-ring for players. :-)

And thank you, Brinjal66, I found the answer already. I also edited the wiki slightly to try to make it clearer how to make rail points using the current method. But proper points are still better in my opinion.

Quote from fusurugi

Won't work unless minecarts keep the chunk calculated. as it is now, all inertia is lost when a cart enters unloaded chunks.

Darn. I forgot about that.

But a player could still select the destination station and be automatically diverted to the station upon arrival.